A critical error puts the safety of the TP-Link network extenders at risk

In this article we echo an important failure that affects the TP-Link network extenders. In case an attacker manages to use this vulnerability he could execute code remotely. We are talking about one of the most popular brands in this type of devices, so it could affect many users around the world. We recently saw the vulnerability that affects Office without patching.

The critical vulnerability affects TP-Link network extenders

The wireless connections today represent a fairly high share when compared with the wiring. This is because of the rise of mobile devices and also of what we know as the Internet of Things. However, we can not always have adequate coverage and therefore be able to use the network normally. Here come into play some devices that help us.

The network extenders basically what they do is to extend the range of wireless coverage to other places in a house. So we can connect from other devices anywhere and have fewer problems of quality or speed. The problem is that they can represent a security threat, in case they are not properly patched or they can have vulnerabilities.

That’s what happened with a series of TP-Link brand network extenders. Specifically, it affects the RE365, RE650, RE350 and RE500 devices. This is stated by IBM security researchers who have found this vulnerability. They also indicate that TP-Link has already released updates for affected users.

What causes this failure

An attacker could send an HTTP request to the network extender. It should be mentioned that it is not necessary to be in the range of the wireless network. If successful, you could execute commands through the request. All of this, as we have mentioned, remotely. To carry out the attack, you would need to know the IP address of the device.

You could manage to direct a person to a website loaded with malware or fraudulent links. Also even control the router to join it to a botnet network.

How to avoid being a victim of this vulnerability

As we have mentioned, TP-Link has already released patches to correct the problem in vulnerable devices. For this, we can go to the official website and select the model we have and thus download the available updates to solve the problem.

It is important that whenever we go to download drivers or update devices we do it from the official page. In this way, we make sure that we are installing the latest available, but we also avoid adding software that may have been modified in a malicious way.

Once again we can see a case in which it demonstrates the importance of always keeping our systems and devices updated. Sometimes vulnerabilities may arise that are exploited by cybercriminals to carry out attacks that compromise users’ security and privacy. It is vital to always have the latest versions installed, regardless of the type of system or device that we are using.

I am a Security Analyst, Consultant, Information Security Professional, and Developer.
My company name is Rapidsafeguard. Repidsafeguard is Security auditing and Consultant company. Our company is focusing on VAPT, NAPT and IoT security.
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